Carrier-dispatch apparatus



A'ug. 24 192,6.

w, J, HEPPERLE 'dARRIER DISPATCH APARATUs Filed ept. 5, 1925 PatentedAug. 24:,V 1926.

unirse' STATES VIILLIAL J. HEPPERLE, GF SYR-ACUSE,`1\TEV YORK, ASSIGNORTO THE LAMSON COM- PANY, 0F SYRACUSE, NEVI YORK, A CORPURATON OFMASSACHUSETTS.

CARRIER-DISPATCH APPARATUS.

Application filed September 3, 1925. Serial No. 54,2215.`

r1`he present invention relates to a carrier dispatch apparatus and moreparticularly to an apparatus for automatically controlling thedistribution and reception of carriers.

Carrier dispatch systems are commonly so arranged that carriers,containing money or other' articles to be changed or handled, aredirected trom a definite source or sources to a delinite operator, thevolume or rate at which the carriers are normally delivered to thereceiving` operator being limited to the operators capacity to receiveand dispose ot them. It sometimes happens, however, that the rate ofdelivery of carriers increases temporarily above the normal and abovethat at which they may be conveniently handled without confusion anddelay. To avoid the delivery of the carriers at a rate greater than thatat which they can be disposed of by a single operator a second orreserve operator is provided to whom the overflow or excess of carriersmay be deflected.

An object of the present invention is to provide a carrier receivingdevice for carrier dispatch apparatus in which the overliow carriers areautomatically passed to a reserve operator whenever they are received ata greater rate than that at which they can be handled by the normaloperator.

Another object ot the invention is to provide a carrier receiving device:tor carrier dispatch apparatus which, when occupied by a carrier, willautomatically pass succeeding carriers to a second or reserve operator.

A still further object in the invention is to provide a receiving devicefor carrier dispatch apparatus in whichthe carriers are passed directlyto a reserve operator and which automatically discharges carriers to acarrier receptacle whenever the carrier receptacle is empty. l

lVith these and other objects in view'the invention comprises theapparatus described in the following specification and defined in theclaims. s .l

In the accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment ot the invention hasbeen illustrated by way ot' example as applied topa pneumatic dispatchsystem. In the drawings Fig.V 1 is a trent elevationof the discharge endvof a pneumaticV dispatch apparatus and invention flector, which islocked in position when the carrier receptacle is empty, but which islautomatically released, permitting the carriers to pass to thereserveoperator, when the receptacle is occupied by a carrier. To this end theincoming tube terminal is extended past the carrier receptacle for ashort distance, forming a passage leading to the reserve operator and isconnected by means of a branch tube to the carrier receptacle. As thecarriers `are delivered through the incoming tube they are interceptedby means of the trip or deiector, which is normally loclred in positionwhen the carrier receptacle is empty, and fall through the branch tubeto the empty receptacle. As soon as the receptacle is occupied the tripis released by mechanism actuated by the weight of the carrier depositedin the receptacle, and succeeding carriers are permitted to pass to thereserve operator. After each passage of a carrier past the trip, thetrip is returned to normal position and is locked as soon as thedeposited carrier is removed from thereceotaele.

xeterring more particularly to the accomtube 10 so that the incomingcarriers tend to pass directly through the overliow tube '14 to areserve operator stationed atkits terminus, or to a conveying means suchas the belt conveyor 2O leading from one or more of such overilow tubesto a reserve operator. In the normal operation ot the apparatus thecarriers are intercepted in the branch or Y connection 12 by a trip ordetlector 22, which is pivoted'at 211 in a bracket mounted on therearwallet the branch 1 2 and extends torwardly into the lower part of thebranch 12.

A carrier, engaging the deflector, falls through the branch tube 16 intothe 'recep-v tacle 18'.V

The lever 22 extends outwardly thiough the rearg Wall of the branch 12and isnormally rigidly held from turningin a clock,- wise direction asviewed in F ig. 2 by means of a latch 28 Which engages 'an-upwardly.

vriersv are enabled'to depress the lever`22A and pass straight throughthe overiiow tube 14.*

'Ioithis end,- a pin 30 ismounted in the bottomoinitlie carrierreceptacle 18 in position to be depressed by the Weight oi acar-l rier4vinetto-operate the mechanism torliiting'the ,latch 28."` rl"he pin 30extends downwardly through the bottom ot'the receptacle andis connected'at itsloiver .end to a Vlever 32, the other end AoifWhicliisjconnect'ed'to the'latcli28 by means ot' a connecting rod 34g" The pin30 is'norinally` held in its upper position'b'y means of a spring 86,posi-- tioned between the head ofthe pin 30 and the base ofthe carrierreceptacle and which also, tends to liold the lever 82V andlatch` 28 inposition to engage the 'arm 26 of the trip 225 IVhenthe pin tl'isdepressed, the lever`8'2` is tilted, lifting the connecting rod 84'- andthe latch 28`l and-releasingthe trip 22;.

The trip`22 is yieldingly held in' its nornialfposition across the pathofcarriersiin thebr'anch`r 12 by meansoit a spring 38, the

strength or" which is not` suiiicient toV lp reventtlie trip frombeingdepressed by the Weight oifa downwardly passing carrier. Accordiingly, as long as a carrier remains in the receptacle 18 the succeedingcarriers dis.- charged ythrough -the tube! 10 .depress the tripv 22against the pressureot thespring 38 and `pass. to the overflow tube 111yandl belt conveyor 20.' The trip 22 isreturned to its normal positionbylineansY of the spring38 `*immediately after the passage ofeachcarrier and, as soon'azs the deposited carrier' isy removed from thereceptacle. 18,v the pin 30 is'liifted by means `of the spring 36`-andthe latch 28 is returnedto, its inter--v cepting'. position in relationto .the trip. arm 28. The trip 22 is thereby held in its normal-positionuntil the pin: 30 is again depressed by the deposit ot'another carrierin the Vcarrier receptacle.

deliveredE to andretained inl the receiving receptacle., at a time. Eachcarrier islield in the receptacle-in positionto be readily removedbythe'operator insucli -a manner as to insure va promptandorderlyhandling and disposing of the carriers. It is understood` thatthe`v mechanism by which the latch and trip are operated may be modifiedandthat'tlie trips may be released independently if. desired; andvarious other changes rierreceiver opening into the delivery terminal',a device Within the delivery terminal opposite said opening andlnormallyvoperatively positioned to engagey carriers arriving, through saiddelivery terminal' and:

thereby to cause tlieinto enter'the receiver, and means fory holdingsaid device iiroperg ative position, said lholding means becominginoperative Wlien'a carrierisin tlie receiver.

2. Ina dispatch apparatusrthe combina; tionV of a carrier' deliveryterminal, a car rier receiver, a detlector normally operativelypositioned to engage a` carrier arriv-Y ing y v said carrier trom-itsnormalpath to cause it to enter the receiver, means lockingfsiidrdetiect'or inoperative position While the ieceiver is empty, andmeansengageable'by a carrier entering the receiver for unlock-v ing-,thedeitlector.

In a carrier, dispatcli`- apparatus. the

combination of a delivery terminal, a car-v rierreceiver, a movabledeilector normally operatively positione'dto intercept carriers fromsaid terminal and to direct them into the receiver, a latch .normallylocking the defiector in operative l positiom. and means automaticallyreleasing said` latchy when a.

carrier enters the. receiver.

1. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus the combinationv of an vincomingtube,` aV carrier receptaclefout of the ypath o fjtravell ofcarftlirougli said'r terminal and to deiiectf riersjfroin said incomingtube, a tripmnormally positioned to direct carriers from saidincomngtube` to said; receptacle, andik means forireleasino: said tripvvliensaidfrecept'acle occupied? 5. In a pneumatic dispatch;.apparatusAthe combination of an incoming, tube, acarrierf receptacle, a movabledeflector normally positioned to interceptl carriers from... said;incomingv tubel andV to directv them intov ysaidy receptacle, a latchnormally( holding said trip rigidly .in position, and means forreleasing vsaidulatch when said'A receptacle isvv v occupied by' acarrier, In the above invention'onlyone carrieris I 6. In a. pneumaticdispatch apparatus the combination of an incoming tube, al recepitacjleforvreceiving carriers .from said tiibe,

i tacle for receiving carriers from said terminal7 a trip normallypositioned to direct carriers from said incoming tube to saidreceptacle, a latch for holding` said trip in rigid position, means forreleasing said latch when said receptacle is occupied by a carrier, anda spring for returning said trip to intercepting position, said springper` mitting said trip to be depressed by the weight of a carrier.

9. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus the combination of an incomingtube, a receptacle adapted to receive and hold a carrier in uprightposition, a trip normally intercepting carriers delivered by saidincoming f tube to cause them to enter said receptacle,

a pin arranged in said receptacle in position to be depressed by acarrier in said receptacle, and a means actuable by said pin to allowthe trip to move to an inoperative position. Y

10. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus, the combination of an incomingtube, a discharge tube branching from said incoming tube and leading toa receptacle for the reception of carriers, a trip normally positionedto intercept carriers from said incoming tube and to defiect them tosaid carrier receptacle, and means for automatically releasing said tripwhen said receptacle is occupied to permit carriers arriving throughsaid incoming tube to continue their course without deflection.

11. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus the combination of an incomingtube, a discharge tube branching from said incoming tube and leading toa carrier receptacle from which carriers may be removed, a deviceadjacent to the delivery end of said incoming tube normally positionedto dir-ect carriers from the said incoming tube to said carrierreceptacle, a pin in the lower part of the carrier receptacle adaptedtoy be depressed by a carrier resting in said receptacle, and meansactuable by said pin to allow the trip to move to an inoperativeposition.

12. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus the combination of an incomingtube having a side branch leading to a carrier receptacle, meansnormally positioned to direct carriers from said incoming tube to saidcarrier receptacle, and means actuated by a carrier in said receptaclefor releasing said means to permit it to become inoperative. v

13. In a pneumatic dispatch apparatus the combination of an incomingtube, ay carrier receptacle, a4 branch tube leading from said incomingtube to said carrier receptacle, a trip extending into said incomingtube in the lower part of said branching portion, a spring arranged tohold said trip in position in said tube and to permit it to be depressedby a passing carrier, a catch holding said trip in position in said tubeand means actuated by a carrier in said receptacle for releasing saidcatch.

Signed by me at Syracuse New York this thirty-first day of August 1925.

WILLIAM J. I-IEPPERLE.

